interdisciplinarity in theory and practice

Educators and researchers have been experimenting with interdisciplinary approaches to teaching, learning, and research for some time, and it is much easier to learn from the experiences of others than to reinvent the wheel. On the other hand, there is no universally agreed-upon method for engaging in interdisciplinary education or research. In fact, the state of the art in interdisciplinarity involves a tension between those who believe it is possible (or already accomplished) to systematize interdisciplinarity and those who insist that with interdisciplinarity comes the unbridled freedom of "anything goes" (with a healthy population of interdisciplinarians occupying various places in between these extremes).

These pages include links to resources we hope will be helpful to researchers and educators who are venturing into interdisciplinary territory and would like first to get the lay of the land from those who have been there before. Here, you will find resources to help with interdisciplinary course design, including links to interdisciplinary syllabi, as well as suggestions for addressing interdisciplinary imperatives in research (e.g., NSF's "Broader Impacts" merit review criterion). You will also find links to various interdisciplinary organizations, programs, and centers from around the world.

Please contact us with suggestions for additions or improvements, or to share any interdisciplinary ideas you have swimming around your head.